Shubman Gill Does What Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma Failed to do as Team India Test Captain After 47 Years

Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed

India vs West Indies: Since taking over the captaincy mantle in Tests from Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill has hardly put a foot wrong – at least, as a batter. Be it England, or be it in the first Test versus West Indies at home in Ahmedabad, Gill – the batter, has not disappointed. 

In the ongoing Test at the Narendra Modi stadium, Gill has hit a fifty and is still unbeaten. With the fifty, Gill matched former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. Gill is the first India Test captain to hit a fifty on home soil in his first outing itself. Gill’s 50 came of exactly 100 balls. It may not have been one of Gill’s free-flowing knocks, but it was surely an impactful one. Back in 1978, Gavaskar had hit 205 against West Indies at the Wankhede stadium.

This is one feat that even former captains like Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could not achieve. 

Gill fell trying to play a reverse-sweep against Roston Chase. Was it needed is the question Gill would be asking himself. He had a golden opportunity to get a century. Gill attempted the reverse sweep but the ball hit him on the bat sticker and lobbed to slip. Justin Greaves did the rest, taking an easy catch. 

Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja are in the middle. They would look to continue playing normally without taking risks. India’s target should be to avoid batting in the fourth innings. At the time of filing the copy, India lead by 77 runs. West Indies need wickets to get back in the contest which looks distant now.